This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

One Pot Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions. Slow-cooked chicken in apple cider with fresh herbs, sweet caramelized onions, and mushrooms. If you’re looking for a cozy fall meal to make, start with this saucy braised chicken. All made in one pot, simple to put together, and totally delicious. Serve with warm bread and a side of wild rice and say hello to cozy fall nights.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Fall starts on Thursday, but per usual our fall here in the mountains has fully set in. Most of you know that we’ve had some chillier days and our leaves are beginning to show pretty shades of yellow and orange.

I love every bit of it and am trying my best to soak in the season. For us, here in the mountains, it will be gone in the blink of an eye. Our fall is fast and furious, warm days, chilly nights, and always beautiful.

I’m embracing the shorter days and colder nights with cozy dinners. Every year like clockwork, I make some sort of braised chicken. But this one is special and hands down my favorite of the bunch. It’s the onions combined with sweet, spiced apple cider. The pair together really do make for a wonderful saucy chicken.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

The story is pretty simple.

I based the recipe pretty closely off my cider braised short ribs. We absolutely loved that short rib recipe last year. I made it multiple times throughout the fall and winter. But it’s still September and the days just don’t require short rib dinners yet.

I wanted something a little lighter and a little quicker cooking for weeknights.

Of course, the thought to swap-in chicken came to mind pretty quickly and sounded delicious. I changed up a few things, adding mushrooms into the mix, and using a quicker cooking method.

It’s truly wonderful and so simple to make.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

The details

Start with the chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts. My family is pickier and will not eat the skin. Though I’m sure it would add a lot of flavor to the dish!

Dredge the chicken through some flour, then give it a sear in a big, oven-safe pan. I only sear one side of the chicken since we just need one side crispy for the oven.

Pull the chicken out, add some butter, then toss on the onions. Start to slowly cook the onions down. I like to add a splash of apple cider to help the onions cook down a little quicker.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

When the onions have reached a light gold color, toss in the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage. I let the mushrooms cook for a minute, then pour over the remaining cider and wine. If you don’t drink wine, chicken broth is a great substitute.

I usually add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, then transfer the whole dish to the oven to braise low and slow.

Now I cooked this at 400 for a quicker time, but you can definitely reduce the heat to 325° and cook for 1-2 hours for a real low and slow braise. Either works great, it just depends on how much time you have.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

I’ve been serving this with a side of homemade beer bread and wild rice pilaf – so good!

You must make the beer bread, it’s delicious with the savory-sweet cider pan sauce.

This is a wonderful Monday night dinner that’s easy enough for any night of the week. It’s certainly sure to become a family favorite. I can’t wait for Creighton to try this, I know he will love it.

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other slow-cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken

Healthier 30 Minute Beer Braised Chicken

Autumn Braised Chicken Escabèche with Roasted Apples and Grapes

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs

Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta

Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Lastly, if you make this Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 421 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

Stove-Top

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
    2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large oven-safe skillet with sides over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side. Remove the chicken to a plate.
    3. Add the butter and onions and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add a 1/2 cup apple cider, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the cider has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and sage, then add the chicken back to the pot. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups cider, and wine. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken is falling apart. Watch the sauce, if it begins to thicken too much, cover the dish.
    3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!

Crockpot

  • 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large Dutch Oven over high heat, and sear the chicken on 1 side.
    2. To the bowl of your crockpot, add the butter and onions, then place the chicken over the onions. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, apple cider, and wine. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
    3. Serve the chicken with wild rice pilaf and bread. Drizzle with any remaining pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
View Recipe Comments
Cider Braised Chicken with Caramelized Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Add a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. If anyone is having issues with this recipe, the time quoted for caramelizing the onions is way too short. There’s no way you’ve even got the moisture of the them, yet alone browning and caramelizing them in the 10-13 minutes quoted. I did mine for an hour on low heat once the moisture evaporated off.

    1. Hi Adam,
      Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback! An hour seems like a super long time, but whatever works for you!! xx

  2. 3 stars
    The taste was on point but I had to take out my chicken and drain some of the liquid out to cook the onions and mushrooms down more. Otherwise they were very watery and bland but I think the problem may have been with the pan I had to use.

    1. Hi Sarah,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try! So sorry to hear about the amount of liquid! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx

  3. Made this last night, and it tasted okay… I feel like I was really close to something great but my dish was very light, colorless, or white in color versus brown and golden. In general my sauces never seem to thicken with HBH recipes and I am wondering if I just don’t have a big enough pan? It would be helpful if you shared pan sizes you use? I had to do this in a pot because four onions sliced was the size of a 20lb bag of flour, so there was no pan in my house that would hold that many onions.

    I served with cheddar mashed potatoes and so overall it was fine, but a lot of work and effort for a medium dish. Will try again because I love the overall concept.

    1. Hi Marjorie,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. For most of my dishes, I use a 12 inch skillet. If I am using a dutch oven, it’s typically a 7 or 9 quart pot. If you are using too small of a pot/pan then you’re right, the ingredients are just steaming. Sometimes it just takes some patience for recipes to cook down and simmer to the thickness of your liking. Let me know if I can help in any other way!

  4. 5 stars
    I had a jug of leftover cinnamon spic apple cider I didn’t know what to do with and made this recipe and it was fantastic! I think the cinnamon actually added to the depth of the flavors and made this dish extremely comforting and warming. I served it with cauliflower puree and garlic naan, which I thought were perfect complements. Like some others noted, the sauce didn’t reduce as much as I’d expected, but I actually didn’t mind it, I thought it served as a gravy of sorts even without thickening.

  5. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m just a little confused for the stovetop instructions, especially when comparing it to your Instagram video. In the written recipe, it seems like the stovetop directions are actually for cooking the dish in the oven? But on the Instagram video, it seems like you make this dish entirely stovetop and simmer it for 30 minutes. Thanks in advance for any advice!

    1. Hey Lizz,
      I pop it in the oven for 30 minutes, but you could totally just do it on the stove top as well:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT

  6. I made this with skin-on thighs, it was delicious! Will definitely make it again! I served it with rice but would have been better with mashed potatoes. The house smelled great afterwards too.

    1. 5 stars
      Second time I’ve had this recipe and it is outstanding!! Had mashed potatoes both times!! Will be making it again this month for company.

    2. Hey Rhonda,
      Happy Tuesday! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you! I’m so glad it was a hit! xTieghan

  7. 3 stars
    I feel like crockpot option would be better- instructions for stovetop seemed off which i followed closely. Cooking the chicken at 400 for 30 minutes ended up tough for breasts. It also just seemed like there was too much liquid that didnt cook down ?

    1. Hi JT,
      Thanks so much for trying the recipe out and sharing your feedback! If you want a thicker sauce it needs to simmer longer, but that really wasn’t my intent for this recipe:) With 2 pounds of chicken, 30 minutes should be perfect timing, maybe try thighs next time, that might work better for you! Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT

    1. Hi Kim,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it! If you can tell me what went wrong for you I would love to help! xT

  8. Just a quick question about the apple cider – should it be traditional ‘sweet’ apple cider? Sounds delish!

  9. 4 stars
    I followed recipe exactly but my finished product is not reddish like photo. Used stock with white wine by Campbells. Any clue why not same color?

    1. Hey Natalie,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! Hmmm I wouldn’t really say that the dish is reddish….just dark in color. Maybe my onions were just a little more caramelized than yours! The difference in products and brands used could also affect this. I hope it tasted okay!! xTieghan

    1. Hey Ann,
      Totally, you can follow the recipe as written, it should be great for you, just ensure your chicken is fully cooked through! I hope you love the recipe! xT

  10. I made this dish but I used sweet vermouth as I did not have it did not have any apple cider. And I used chicken stock instead of wine. It was amazing. Other than that substitution, the only other step I took was to make a little roux to thicken the sauce. I plan on making this again with the apple cider.
    Today I am going to make the chocolate chunk chai banana bread.

    1. Hey Mary Jean,
      Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!

  11. 4 stars
    Helps to read through the comments before making this recipe…some people complained that the chicken didn’t really brown. The searing in the beginning of this recipe is key. And in order to do that, you have to have a HOT pan. Don’t disturb the the chicken for a few minutes. I also seared on both sides because I wanted that brown color on each side, but that part is each to their own.

    A lot of people have said the sauce was too thin and I agree. I had to take the chicken out of the pan at the end and use an arrowroot slurry on the stovetop to thicken the sauce.

    I did not use mushrooms in this recipe simply because I don’t like them. The sauce was still really good with just the onions.

    I served alongside mashed sweet and golden potatoes. The sauce seeped into the potatoes a bit which was so yummy!

    1. Hey Melanie,
      Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Have a great weekend! xx

      1. 5 stars
        So delish!! Needed a recipe for apple cider to use up this fresh batch I bought. Made exactly as written and served with stuffing. Will for sure make again soon!

        1. Hey Kenz,
          Happy Tuesday!!🎃 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xx

  12. 5 stars
    So yummy and comforting! We had it with some rice pilaf, and it hit the spot. Definitely going to be a fall favorite.

    1. Hi Brittany,
      Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! xx

  13. 5 stars
    This was delicious! We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday on a pre-K field trip and came home with a gallon of cider with this recipe in mind 🙂 I used 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts and omitted the mushrooms. I also spent more time caramelizing the onions at the beginning, and then found the sauce runny after taking it out of the oven, so took the chicken out of the pan and reduced the sauce on the stove, adding about a tablespoon of flour. Served with noodles and roasted butternut squash. Fall perfection!

    1. Hey Mairin,
      Happy Wednesday!👻 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx